With the release of Windows 11 next month, Microsoft Teams is getting a visual makeover as well as a whole new app based on Microsoft Edge.

As reported by Windows Latest, the software giant's new video conferencing client is currently being referred to as Microsoft Teams 2.0 and will be more heavily integrated into the next major Windows release.

A new update is currently rolling out for Teams 2.0 that finally enables support for Mica in Windows 11. For those unfamiliar, Mica is an opaque and dynamic material that applies both a user's theme and desktop wallpaper to the background of active windows. According to Microsoft, Mica was designed with improved performance and it is generally faster than the company's Fluent Design acrylic effect.

While users running a mobile workstation or high-end PC won't have to worry, those with lower-end hardware or using battery saver mode on their laptop won't be able to use the Mica effect in Microsoft Teams or other Windows software.

Electron-based vs Edge-based Teams app

Microsoft Teams 2.0, which is based on Teams for the web and powered by Microsoft's browser, is intended for consumers while the company plans to focus on the existing Electron client for Teams for business and education use.

Although the new Teams app is currently in preview, it already performs really well and is available for Windows 11. Interested users already running the next version of Windows can download it by launching Microsoft's Chat app from the taskbar.

Despite the fact that the company's new preview app appears nearly identical to Teams for the web, it does feel a lot faster than the Electron-powered desktop client according to Windows Latest. The app also now allows users resize windows and includes the ability to quote replies directly from the conversation tab.

Just like Microsoft's desktop client, Teams 2.0 supports calling, messaging, audio controls, meeting management and native Windows notifications. However, it's also directly integrated into Windows 11's new Chat app.

We'll likely find out even more about Microsoft Teams 2.0 when Windows 11 officially launches on October 5.

Via Windows Latest